A year ago, DeMar DeRozan was an obvious All-Star choice as the catalyst of one of the NBA’s most surprising teams. This year, it’s going to be a closer call.
DeRozan is the Bulls’ best chance for an All-Star, but it will take an All-Star head coach’s selection to get there after he didn’t make the initial roster off fan and media voting.
He was averaging 26.4 points, 5.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game and shooting 51.3% from the field heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Clippers. His scoring average is the same as it was last year when he was selected, but it was sixth in the league then. This year, it’s 15th. And perhaps an even bigger difference: The Bulls are now 23-27 after their 108-103 loss to the Clippers. Last year, they were 30-17 and second in the Eastern Conference at the time of DeRozan’s selection.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan emphasized the 33-year-old DeRozan’s availability in making a case for his veteran star. Tuesday was DeRozan’s 47th game of the season. Among the top 15 scorers in the NBA, only the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, 24, had played in more games (48).
“He’s had a great year — he’s been really, really consistent,” Donovan said. “The year’s been unique for a lot of players in terms of injuries. His availability has been pretty impressive for as many years as he’s been in the league. He’s just been incredibly efficient and has played really well. I think he’s played at the same level as he did last year in a lot of ways.”
Trade winds
Center Nikola Vucevic remains unfazed by the approaching NBA trade deadline Feb. 9, even though he could be dealt.
“I don’t pay attention to that,” Vucevic said. “I’ve been in the league for a long time now [13 seasons]. I’ve been involved in two trades. It’s part of it, obviously. It’s not easy when you get the call and are told you’re traded — everything changes for you. But there’s nothing you can do about it. If you think about it, you’re just going to make it harder on yourself.”
Passing fancy
The 32-year-old Vucevic, who had 26 points and 13 rebounds in a victory over the Magic on Saturday, added 23 points and 14 rebounds against the Clippers. He was averaging 17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists entering Tuesday. He’d averaged 4.8 assists in his previous 11 games after averaging 2.9 assists in his first 38.
“The way we’ve been trying to play lately puts me in position to involve my passing game a lot more,” Vucevic said, “especially when DeMar and Zach [LaVine] are getting doubled in the pick-and-rolls. I’m able to get in the pocket and make plays out of it, or even just regular pick-and-rolls.
“It’s something I really enjoy doing when I get the ball in the pocket, whether it’s making a play for myself or for somebody else. I think it helps our offense a lot.”
No Rising Stars
The Bulls were shut out of the Rising Stars Challenge for rookies, second-year players and G-league players, to be held All-Star weekend.
Guard Ayo Dosunmu, who played in the game as a rookie last season, was not among the 10 second-year players named to the roster this time. Dosunmu entered Tuesday averaging 9.3 points and 2.6 assists.
The Bulls’ only rookie, guard Dalen Terry, has played in only 18 games this season, mostly in bit roles, averaging 0.9 points.
